


All Jake Wants for Christmas is Cougs

by JinxedAmbitions



Category: The Losers (2010), The Losers - All Media Types
Genre: Accidentally Flashing, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, M/M, Professor Jake
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-04 07:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5325716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxedAmbitions/pseuds/JinxedAmbitions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake didn't realize he was living next to the sexiest man alive until an accidental fire in the building strands them all outside.  Jake of course sticks his reindeer slippered foot in his mouth in front of his new neighbor, but that doesn't mean he's giving up easily.  It might just take a Christmas miracle, but Jake is going to show Mr. Alvarez that he's worth a shot...just as soon as he figures out Mr. Alvarez's first name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I decided to do another holiday fic this year. If everything goes according to plan, it will be 12-13 chapters and finish on either Christmas or New Year's depending on how productive I am.
> 
> However! As I mentioned on my tumblr last week sometime. I will take requests for things you'd like to see in this fic such as drunken caroling or ugly sweater parties. I have several requests now which I've designated for various chapters in the fic. So, if there is anything you'd be interested in seeing that would fit with the story, let me know either in the comments or on my tumblr which is also jinxedambitions.

Jake's previous neighbor had moved out in a hurry. Something about the government being after him for possible ecological weaponry. Jake hadn't exactly been sad to see his neighbor or his menacing roommate/life partner/possible partner-in-crime go. He was more upset about the police knocking on his door at one in the afternoon to question him about his interactions with said neighbor than the man's sudden disappearance. Jake had been sleeping. He wasn't fond of people that interrupted his sleep. He got little enough of it as it was without being harassed.

It was two whole months before Jake realized that the apartment next door wasn't vacant anymore. And even then, it wasn't because he saw the inhabitant. No, his sister was looking for a new place, and Jake had inquired about the apartment beside his, only to be told that Mr. Alvarez lived there and would not likely be moving any time soon.

Jake couldn't help imagining a quiet little Hispanic man, probably in his late sixties, living next door. Jake's imagination quickly got away from him, concluding that Mr. Alvarez was a widower. He enjoyed quiet evenings watching old movies, and he didn't socialize with the rest of the floor because his wife had always been the one to make friends. Jake could admit that he may have gone a little overboard, but he still believed Mr. Alvarez couldn't possibly be a day younger than sixty-five.

It wasn't until Thanksgiving that Jake actually met his new neighbor. New was only a relative term at that point since Mr. Alvarez had been living there for about five months by then. Until then, Jake had only seen a couple beautiful young women coming and going from apartment 3B. Jake assumed they were his daughters coming to check on him. It was sweet really of them.

On Thanksgiving, Jake took a long relaxing bubble bath after he got home from his sister’s apartment. He had his rubber ducky with an eye patch facing off against Godzilla who definitely had the firepower advantage, but the duck was not to be underestimated.

Jake paused his play when he heard a thump from upstairs. He didn't know what Aisha did with her free time, but the woman certainly made a lot of noise. He assumed that Aisha had had to be on her best behavior during family dinner, so she could have been letting all of her frustration out now, or maybe she got along with her family. Jake certainly didn’t get along with the majority of his.

Jake didn’t give Aisha or her thumping much thought since he was far more concerned about Godzilla and the rubber ducky duking it out. He had one leg up on the edge of the tub and his other knee bent to create a small island when the fire alarm started blaring. Jake startled, glancing up at the offending alarm on the ceiling. He squinted then went back to his toys. It was probably just someone burning their turkey dinner. Jake wasn't about to run outside in the freezing cold because Clay or Pooch couldn't cook a damn bird properly. Not that Jake was an expert at cooking turkeys. His sister still hadn’t forgiven him for last year’s frozen turkey incident.

Jake glanced up at the ceiling when another thud sounded. He muttered under his breath about inconsiderate neighbors, but he continued to play. Godzilla had the upper hand, and the ducky had his back against the wall…or in this case the tub.

He froze when he smelled a hint of smoke. Jake knew the scent of smoke anywhere. He’d burned enough meals in this apartment, and growing up he’d done more than his fair share of setting things on fire in the name of science.

Jake scrambled out of the tub with his duck and Godzilla in tow. “Shit! Shit! We're all gonna die,” he cursed running into the living room completely naked. He dripped all over the floors as he ran to the corner of the room to collect his two laptops. He rushed back to his bedroom and threw open the closet doors.

Jake quickly pulled open the massive safe he'd installed in the apartment in case of fires, bombings, government conspiracies, you name it. This baby could withstand anything short of an atomic bomb, and the atomic bomb might not even stand a chance, but no one had had authority to test it. Jake shoved his laptops onto their designated shelves, then he ran out to collect his tower and monitors.

He had the whole thing packed up in under a minute and a half. There was even enough space for Ducky and Godzilla. They would live to fight another day and probably have raunchy make up sex after.

Jake tugged on a pair of reindeer boxers and his bright yellow bathrobe. As he dashed for the door, he slipped into his matching reindeer slippers and booked it down the stairs. The entire building was gathered on the sidewalk as Jake burst out of the building, still wet, glasses askew, and robe barely tied closed.

“Are you seeing what I'm seeing?” Roque, from apartment 3F, asked Pooch who was standing next to him. Pooch, the traitor, just shook his head. Jake knew judging eyes when he saw them.

“What? You got something against reindeer? My niece got 'em for me,” Jake said walking over to the group from his floor.

Somehow all of the oddballs seemed to be grouped together on floor three. There was Roque who Jake was convinced had a knife fetish. According to Clay, he was a partner in one of the popular nightclubs downtown, but Jake wasn't entirely certain he hadn't just been mixed up with Max—the former Mr. 3B. There was Clay whose ex-girlfriends had tried to torch the whole place more than once. One had even come to Jake's door looking for Clay. Jake hadn't been happy about it, especially after the police incident. There were Pooch and Jolene who seemed normal, but Jake knew there was crazy hiding somewhere in their apartment. Honestly, who went by the nickname Pooch if they weren’t a little weird? Then there had been Max and his roommate Wade. Jake could honestly say he didn't know if either was their first or last name. Of course there was Jake, and he was fully aware of his own crazy. Floor 3 just seemed to be the crazy nesting grounds.

“So, who set the place on fire this time...and where are Clay and Aisha? They aren't burning to death as we speak?” Jake asked, glancing around the crowd when he didn't see either of them.

Roque rolled his eyes, nodding at the fourth floor where smoke was pouring out of the apartment above Jake's. _Oh_.

“I thought they'd made up,” Jake commented, watching the flaming curtains. Aisha had just redecorated too. Jake knew because he’d been involved in that thumping—actual furniture thumping instead of the sexy kind of furniture thumping. Flashing lights approached before anyone could answer him, and they watched as firemen flooded the street.

“He refused to go to her parents for dinner. You know how he and Mr. al-Fadhil get along...” Roque said, sounding annoyed by the whole situation.

“You mean don't.” Jake didn’t know what he was so grumpy about. Jake’s wet hair was starting to freeze from the cold air.

“Exactly,” Pooch added, watching Clay and Aisha step out of the building like their rough makeup sex or just angry sex hadn't set the place on fire...again. If Mr. al-Fadhil didn't own the building, Jake assumed neither one of them would still be living there. The worst was when Aisha's ex-boyfriend came to town to visit her father. Jake was always surprised when that didn't end explosively...in the literal sense. Jake was pretty sure that guy was as shady as they came.

Jake heckled Clay with Pooch and Roque until another person appeared at the doors of the building as the firemen were rushing in. Jake's attention was immediately piqued.

The man was perhaps a few years older than Jake himself. He had long dark hair that fell below his shoulders. He was bare chested as he stepped out into the cold night. Jake bit his lip as he noticed the tattoo over his heart. The rest of his chest wasn't hard on the eyes either. Jake had to hold himself back from commenting as the man pulled a long sleeved shirt on, showcasing his stomach as he lifted his arms over his head. Jake was ashamed to notice that the top button on his jeans was undone.

“Who's he?” Jake asked, watching the man saunter over to the group of residents. He walked like a predator—every movement was fluid like he knew his own power.

“That's Mr. Alvarez,” Diane from 2F said as she too watched the man with hungry eyes. Jake was relieved that he wasn't the only one affected by the man's considerable sex appeal. Really the man had no right to look that good while there was a fire in progress in their home.

“Mr. Alvarez? As in apartment 3B?” Jake asked, mouth hanging open. This was the sweet little old widower whose daughters came to visit him every weekend? This most certainly was not, and those girls were definitely not his daughters. “No, it's not. Mr. Alvarez is in his sixties, and his wife died, so he lives alone, keeping to himself.”

Diane, Pooch, Aisha, and Jolene looked at him like he was out of his mind.

“Jake, were you smoking up before you stumbled out here in that awful robe?” Pooch asked him.

“No, and I resent the idea that I need drugs to act this way,” Jake told him, realizing just how silly his assumption had been.

“I know I'm going to regret this, but what took you so long getting out of there if this is what you came out in?” Jolene asked, and Jake could see Pooch shaking his head at his wife.

“Oh I was making sure that none of my computers were compromised if the whole building goes up,” Jake explained, shrugging.

“Your computers? You risked your ass getting out for your computers?” Diane asked.

“They’re irreplaceable. Hundreds of years from now, people are going to study my computers and be amazed by my genius,” Jake said, adjusting his glasses carefully.

“More like they’ll be wondering how we advanced as a civilization if you are any indication of mankind,” Aisha muttered under her breath.

“So, you spent all that time saving your computers, but you couldn't put on real clothes?” Pooch asked him.

“What? I have real clothes on. I even matched my underwear to my slippers,” Jake said, pulling open his robe to show Pooch his reindeer boxers, complete with bright red nose right at the opening in the front. And that was Mr. Alvarez's first impression of Jake—standing there with his bathrobe wide open like a flasher as Pooch, Jolene, and Diane stared at him with eyes wide.

Jake was actually a little embarrassed by the raised eyebrow the man gave him. Clay and Aisha had gotten dressed. Why hadn't he thought to? Why when he met the best looking man he'd ever seen was he wearing reindeer boxers and slippers? Why couldn't he be suave like Clay?

Jake swallowed his embarrassment and his pride and did what he did best, hide it behind the outrageous.

“Hi, I'm Jake. I think you live next to me,” Jake said, closing his robe before reaching out to offer Mr. Alvarez his hand.

“Hello,” Mr. Alvarez said, and Jake was instantly turned on by the man's accent. He was grateful for his robe and the cold air because wow pant busting was definitely the term for what was trying to happen in his robe.

“I didn't even realize someone had taken Max's old place until I asked Mr. al-Fadhil if my sister could move in there. Not that I don't want you living next door. You seem nice, and I mean I love my sister but living next to each other might not be the best. Hell, even holidays are a little stressful. Last year she threw a frozen turkey at me...” Jake elaborated when Mr. Alvarez gave him a confused look. “...I mean, it was frozen because I said I'd cook the turkey and didn't realize you can't just put a frozen one in the oven and be done with it. We ended up having Chinese food for Thanksgiving, but that was probably for the best. Anyway, what I was trying to say is you're really quiet, and I didn't even realize you were there,” Jake rambled nervously, burying his hands in the pockets of his robe.

“Yes, I know. You like to sing Journey loudly in the shower,” he said, and Jake felt his face heat.

“Sorry about that. I didn't realize you could hear that,” Jake mumbled, biting his lip. He wondered what else Mr. Alvarez could hear, praying that him making his action figures have sex wasn’t one of them. He could hear Pooch and Aisha laughing behind him. No doubt Roque and Clay were shaking their heads at his ineptitude. “Have you met the rest of the floor yet?” Jake asked, trying to change the subject as fast as he could.

“Yes,” Mr. Alvarez said, nodding to the group behind Jake. Several of them waved at him while others nodded politely. Jake cursed internally, shifting from foot to foot. This was not good. He should abort, get out of there before he _really_ embarrassed himself.

“So, you have a lot of female visitors,” Jake commented, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Shit that was not what he wanted to say. _Abort! Abort!_

Mr. Alvarez looked at him like he'd grown a second head for bringing it up, and Jake could feel everyone's eyes boring into his back for the same reason. Jake made an awkward face, and then he really did it.

“That was awkward. Have you seen my matching reindeer?” he asked, pulling open his robe again to show Mr. Alvarez his reindeer boxers. He could hear Aisha make the sound of a dying moose at the same time that Mr. Alvarez's eye nearly bugged out of his head. Yup, he'd done it. He had successfully traumatized his new neighbor in less than five minutes of meeting him. Thankfully, the cold air had taken care of his semi, so Mr. Alvarez didn’t get an eyeful of his _other_ red nosed reindeer.

Jake was shocked when Mr. Alvarez chuckled, smiling as he hugged his arms around himself to combat the cold air.

“Do you always match your underwear to your footwear?” he asked, shaking his head.

“Only for the holidays mostly,” Jake said, smiling impishly. He noticed a significant shiver run through Mr. Alvarez and frowned. “You're cold.”

“It is cold out,” he retorted, rubbing his arms.

“Want my robe? It's really cozy.”

Mr. Alvarez frowned.

“I swear I don't get cold. I'm from up north. I could stand out here in my skivvies all night, and it wouldn't bother me,” Jake said, pulling his robe off and offering it to Mr. Alvarez.

“That's okay,” he said, stepping back as though the robe may have been infected.

“You aren't taking him up on it, I am,” Aisha said, slipping under Jake's outstretched arm and into his robe.

“Hey, you're the reason we're out here,” Jake complained.

“You flashed me your red nosed reindeer. We're even,” she told him.

Jake rolled his eyes, but then he noticed Mr. Alvarez walking away toward where several of the residents parked their cars.

“Good job with him by the way,” Aisha said, glancing in Mr. Alvarez's direction. “Flashing him was a smooth move.”

“I panicked.”

“I hadn't noticed.”

Jake gave her a soft shove, and she retaliated with a punch to the arm. They both noticed how Mr. Alvarez took a seat in what was presumably his car to wait for the building to be deemed safe to enter.

“Sleeping on our floor tonight?” Jake asked.

“I don't know about sleeping,” she replied, watching Clay as he chatted with Roque.

“Try not to burn the place down again. I might forget underwear completely next time, and then I'll be arrested,” Jake said, putting his hands on his hips, ignoring the biting air on his bare skin. Several of the building's residents were looking at him, but he wasn't embarrassed. He knew he was good looking. It was just his personality that sent them running. Their loss. He may have also been tensing his ass just in case Mr. Alvarez glanced in his direction.

“I'll try to go easy on him,” Aisha said, folding her arms across her chest, seemingly completely immune to his state of undress.

“Sure you will,” Jake sighed, watching the flames slowly die. There was a reason that Aisha had the top floor to herself. The love Mr. al-Fadhil had for his daughter was staggering when Jake considered how much damage her sex life caused to the building.

It was another two hours before the firemen determined that they could return to their apartments. It had really only been some drapes and furniture and the bed sheets that went up. Jake hoped that didn’t mean he’d be dragged into carrying her knew furniture up to her apartment again. Once a month was enough of that.

Mr. Alvarez hadn't stuck around for the whole show. He'd driven off after about ten minutes of sitting in his vehicle. Jake wished he'd taken his clothes and keys, so he could have taken off, but he hadn't. He was starting to feel a little chilly as they shuffled back into the building.

He returned to a mildly smoky apartment and a bath full of cold water. Jake sighed. Might as well take another bath. That would warm him up a bit. Jake drained the tub while he went to his safe to collect Godzilla and Ducky. They had unfinished business after all.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake's attempts to decorate the floor go a little awry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I'm really keeping on top of this and posting short chapters every couple of days...or not. I'll probably be doing longer chapters once or twice a week since this month is a little hectic.

Jensen didn't give much thought to his new neighbor after the events of Thanksgiving. Jake still had a few weeks left in the semester, and he was busy grading assignments when he wasn't taking part in his side business of hacking into large corporations and doing a little holiday redistribution of wealth.

It was Tuesday of the next week when Jolene knocked on his door carrying a box of Christmas decorations. She had her hair up in a messy bun, and she was wearing an over-sized sweater and leggings.

“What can I do for you, pretty lady?” Jake asked, wearing only another pair of Christmas themed boxers and a Santa hat.

“You must have the best temperature regulation of anyone on earth because no matter what time of year I knock on your door, you answer in boxers and some ridiculous hat,” Jolene said, sighing heavily as she watched the Christmas lights along the trim of his hat blink.

“Nah, I rigged the shoddy heating system to make it feel like the tropics in here,” Jake laughed. “So, what can I do for you?”

“You said you wanted to decorate the floor like three weeks ago. I was just dropping off the decorations we didn't use in the apartment,” she said, shaking the box of lights and garlands.

“Oh, neat. We should put them up,” Jake said, stepping out into the hall.

“We should? Right now? In your underwear?” she asked, back pedaling to give him space.

“No time like the present, and trust me if I read another poorly executed final project I'm going to turn into the Grinch,” Jake said, digging through the box in Jolene's arms. “Oh, these will go nicely on the banister.”

Jake removed several long, green and red garlands from the box. He smiled impishly as he wrapped them around Jolene's neck like a boa. She shook her head but indulged his innocent fun.

“Let's go. I can't leave Pooch in there all afternoon, or he'll have all my presents wrapped and hidden before I even get to snoop,” Jolene said, pushing Jake toward the stairwell.

“Snoop? You can't snoop. Santa will bring you coal.”

“If Santa existed, you'd get nothing but coal, Jensen. Let's go.”

“Touché.”

Together they twisted the lengths of garland around the banister. Jake ran back into his apartment to collect the dollar store ornaments he'd used when he first moved in. Back then he couldn't afford the geek glory that were his current Christmas tree decorations. This year he was thinking a Star Wars themed tree complete with dancing storm troopers rockin' around the base of it.

“We can hang these from the garland,” he said as he put down the box of sturdy plastic ornaments. They were close to indestructible. Jake had tested it of course. He'd also tripped over enough of them that he got phantom hip pains just from the memory of the number of times he wiped out.

Jolene picked a couple of the tacky ornaments from the box and carefully hung them from the garland, being sure to space them evenly. Jake's method was more of a hang them wherever and hope for the best operation. When they stepped back, it was clear that two different people had had a hand in the decorations. Jake just smiled like a dork when Jolene waved him off to put up different decorations while she fixed his mess.

Jake decided that he should hang a garland from the ceiling, so he could fix the mistletoe to it. Jolene's eyes went wide as Jake climbed up on the banister then stretched his leg out to balance against the opposite wall. Jake unwrapped the garland from his neck and tried to hang it from the window sill.

Mrs. Jones, from 5A, came down the stairs with her son's laundry as Jake was balanced precariously between the wall and railing. She paused in front of Jake, looking up at him with wide eyes. Jake understood her worries, but he had this.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Jones. Petey enjoying wrestling this year?” he asked, using his most charming smile.

“Oh my. Yes, darling he is. Very much so,” she said, sounding more than a bit flustered.

“Don't mind me, just decorating,” he said, motioning for her to step through his spread legs. She nodded stepped through easily.

Jolene just shook her head as Mrs. Jones hurried down the stairs. She made it to the next landing before hurrying up again.

“Forgot to check his gym bag,” she explained as she slipped beneath Jake's legs again, smiling up at him as she went.

“That's the worst. Gotta air those bad boys out for days,” Jake called after her with a chuckle. He continued to finagle with garland even as she came down the stairs again with a couple articles of clothing which didn't actually look like gym clothes to Jake, but she smiled up at him, and he returned it.

Mrs. Jones went up and down twice more, blaming her forgetfulness on the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Jake could understand that. He felt like he was forgetting things constantly these days, like the exam he was giving that evening. He wished he could forget that entirely.

Jolene was on their landing, pinning snowflakes to the wall when Mr. Alvarez came out of his apartment. She waved to him, smiling sweetly. He stopped to ask how she was and offered to tack one of the snowflakes up where she couldn't reach.

“Oh, thanks. You off to work?” she asked him.

“Yes, late lunch meeting,” he told her. Jake noted that he was dressed in slacks and a button up, but the top two buttons were undone and the sleeves were rolled to his elbows. His long hair was pulled back in a length of leather cord. The man had suave down to an art.

Mr. Alvarez turned and stopped dead at the top of the stairs, blinking up at Jake.

“Hey there, Mr. Alvarez. Just doin' some decorating for the season. I was just putting up some mistletoe, so you better move fast or I'll have to insist on a kiss,” Jake teased. However, Mr. Alvarez's eyes were still wide, and his eyebrows were inching toward his hairline. Jake frowned, following his line of sight to...oh. Anyone beneath him could see right up his boxers.

“Shit,” Jake said, trying to cover up with his hands, but losing his balance. Jake saw his life flash before his eyes as he flailed and fell, glasses flying off to parts unknown. However, before he could brain himself on the stairs, strong hands wrapped around his waist and eased him back to earth quite gently.

Jake blinked owlishly as he realized that he wasn't dead or even possessing minor injuries. He looked up into Mr. Alvarez's eyes from the step below him.

“You saved me,” he said dumbly, but Mr. Alvarez smiled at him.

“Perhaps next time a ladder would be useful...and pants,” he said, and Jake felt himself blush.

“Really sorry about _that_. I wasn't thinking, but that definitely explains why Mrs. Jones was feeling so forgetful,” Jake said, gripping Mr. Alvarez's forearms like he was still in danger of falling.

“Still no mistletoe,” Mr. Alvarez said, looking up at the garland Jake had painstakingly and embarrassingly secured while flashing everyone beneath him.

“Yeah, I should probably go grab some pants...”

“I will do it,” he said, holding out his hand for the sprig of mistletoe from Jake. Jake opened and closed his mouth, but he handed the fake plant over. “You realize this is holly instead of mistletoe,” Mr. Alvarez pointed out.

“Yeah, well, this is a budget sort of operation we're running here,” Jake said, crossing his arms over his bare chest because it was feeling a little chilly in the stairwell, or Jake was getting turned on. Either way his nipples were all sorts of perky.

Mr. Alvarez just smiled, easily climbing onto the banister and balancing as he quickly secured the plant. Jake barely got to appreciate his lithe body before he was back down again.

“Thanks,” Jake said, stepping out of his way.

“Not a problem. Have fun decorating,” Mr. Alvarez said, stepping down a few steps before bending to pick something up. “Yours?” he asked, holding up Jake's glasses.

“Oh, yeah. Blind without those babies,” Jake said, holding his hand out for them, but Mr. Alvarez stepped into his space and carefully placed them back on Jake's nose. Jake just blinked at him dumbly as he bowed his head and trotted down the stairs to his lunch meeting.

Jake was still standing there opening and closing his mouth when Jolene gently checked him with her hip. “That went far better than last time. This time you actually worked up to flashing him. Congratulations,” she said in amusement.

Jake rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, that wasn't embarrassing at all.”

“He clearly didn't mind too much if he rescued you from certain death,” Jolene pointed out.

“That or he didn't want to have to wait with my mostly naked corpse until the police arrived.”

“Good point. He did have a lunch date,” Jolene teased him, patting his arm before going back to what she was doing.

Just as Jake was going to follow her, Mrs. Jones came walking up the stairs. Her expression became noticeably less excited when she saw him standing on solid ground. “Done already?” she asked innocently.

“Yeah, Mrs. Jones. How does it look?” Jake asked her, rubbing his neck again. This wouldn't have been nearly as embarrassing if she wasn't the same age as his mother.

“Oh mistletoe!” Her expression seemed to light again. “I'm going to have to insist on a kiss,” she told him.

Jake held back any biting comments and leaned down, so she could plant one on him. He could've done without having his cheek pinched afterward or even the lipstick smudge, but it wasn't so bad. Jolene laughed her ass off as he made his way back to her and the box of decorations.

“You're the one that demanded mistletoe,” Jolene reminded him.

“It's actually just holly.”

“That ain't stoppin' Mrs. Jones from layin' one on you,” she teased.

“No. No, it is not,” Jake grumbled, rubbing at his now pink cheek. He couldn't even blame all of the color on Mrs. Jones' unfortunate choice of lipstick.

\---

Jake sat doodling as he proctored his final exam. He'd found after several semesters of teaching that if he had his computer in front of him during the exam, he would be tempted to spy on his students as they worked. This was a problem for several reasons. He liked to grade them without knowing whose they were to be more fair. More importantly, when he spied, he wanted to tell them to fix things or ask them what in god's name was going through their head to come up with that solution. 

So, for the sake of Jake's sanity, he usually stuck to doodling while his students suffered through his exam. Jake could pass it blindfolded, but as his sister repeatedly reminded him, that didn't mean the average human could be expected to do the same.

Jake was texting Jolene back and forth about her annual cookie swap in between drawings that looked suspiciously like his new neighbor. That reminded him what an ass he'd made of himself in front of Mr. Alvarez not once but twice. The man probably thought he was some weird deviant at this point. Not that Jake wasn't a little bit of a deviant, but he liked to keep that to himself...at least until like the fifth encounter.

Mr. Alvarez had seen just about all of Jake, and Jake didn't even know the man's first name. Jake scratched his goatee. How had he not found out the man's first name yet? Jake stretched back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. He'd definitely need to find out the man's name. After all, he had saved Jake's ass and probably his head too.

Jake looked out at all of his students as they worked away at their computers. He could tell just from their expressions which ones were going to fail. It was a skill he'd honed over the years. There was a reason he was the youngest tenured professor in the school's history. It wasn't his ability to predict grades by student's faces, but it had to do with him being unmatched in his field. That went hand in hand with knowing when people had potential or were just going through the motions.

His phone buzzed as he thought about how he was going to get Mr. Alvarez to tell him his first name. Jake looked down at his phone, entering the PIN quickly.

—When are you holding your annual shit show? I mean caroling and refreshments—

Jake grinned at her message. Somehow, for the past four years, Jake had managed to get their entire floor to go caroling from apartment to apartment as well as down the block. He wasn't sure, but he thought it had something to do with the fact that most of the building's residence gave them free alcohol if they moved on quickly. By the end of the night, they usually ended up in Jake's apartment and many a bad decision had been made at those parties.

—19 th —

—Cookie swap will be the 13 th then. Your cookies cannot be dick shaped this year. You are NOT spreading holiday cheer with dick shaped cookies. My son will not be eating your dick cookies!—

Jake snorted. No one appreciated the genius that were his dildo shaped cookies. That cookie cutter had been worth every penny, and it was useful for so many occasions.

—Are we dong ugly sweaters this year?— Jake asked.

—Reread that. But yes, wear an ugly sweater, but it better NOT have a dong on it—

Seriously, Jolene was no fun since having her son. Not that Jake had an ugly dong sweater, but he could find one in the bowels of the internet by then.

“Professor Jensen?” one of his students asked.

Jake glanced up, only realizing he was muttering about obscenities as he got a good look at the front row. “Are you finished?” he asked.

“Um, no,” the young man said, sounding more amused than disturbed by Jake's mutterings.

“Well, you best get going because time's a wasting,” Jake told him as he texted Jolene.

—You got me in trouble—

—I'm sure you did that yourself—

Jake kept his mutterings in his head this time. However, he had an idea as he thought about the various activities the floor took part in during the holiday season. Mr. Alvarez probably didn't know all of the things they usually did, and who knows if someone would remember to invite him since most of the events were just tradition by this point.

Jake picked up his pen and started writing down a list of the events they took part in. From the building's tree lighting to the New Year's Eve Black Out Party. It was originally the Black Tie Party, but the other name fit better. He rewrote it three times, trying and failing to make it neat. When the final student got up to leave, he decided that he'd just type it up at his apartment.

Jake packed up his laptop and briefcase and headed back to his office. There would likely be a line of students there to plead their case as to why they deserved to pass even though they had never showed up for class or done half of the assignments. He hated the last week of the semester for that very reason.

Sure enough, three people were sitting in the hall outside of his office. Surprisingly, none of them were in the class that had just taken the exam. Jake was sure that a few of them would be begging his mercy, but there was still time. His office hours went until 10PM.

“Who got here first?” he asked as he unlocked the door.

A dark haired girl named Amy stood up and followed him into his office. She'd shown up the first week, and then he'd assumed that she'd dropped the class until she showed up for the midterm like she hadn't been missing for the better part of the semester. Jake was going to need coffee, possibly brewed in Red Bull, if he was going to make it through her excuses.

Jake held up his finger as he walked over to his bookshelf and collected his novelty R2-D2 mug and specialty blend espresso. He loaded up his coffee maker and pressed the On button before taking a seat behind his desk.

“What can I do for you, Amy?” he asked, adjusting his glasses as she took a deep breath before starting. Jake knew a headache was inevitable.

\---

Jake groaned as he trudged up the stairs to his apartment. He'd ended up seeing seven students in the two hours of office hours he was obligated to do. He'd had to shut the door on a student who showed up at 10PM because the pounding in his head was excruciating. 

Jake didn't like failing his students, even the bad ones. However, he refused to be a pushover. He saw professors get taken advantage of by students regularly, and Jake didn't want to be one of them. He didn't want students flocking to his classes because they were easy to pass. He didn't want students taking his classes if they weren't interested in what he had to offer.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to work with struggling students. He believed there should be a degree of struggle to his courses. They were advanced computer science courses after all. However, he was willing and able to devote his time to helping students work through their struggles and expand their critical thinking because he wasn't wasting time spoon feeding the people who were just looking for an easy class.

What Jake couldn't stand was being told that a student that didn't try and didn't seek help deserved special treatment just because.

Jake pressed his palm to his temple as he staggered up the stairs. He hated migraines. He especially hated student induced migraines. It was a combination of the caffeine, stress, and jaw clenching that did it, but the underlying problem was his students. He understood that they were stressed too, but they had at max six classes. He had 142 students this semester each with complex final projects that needed evaluating, not to mention 142 final exams.

Jake dropped his keys as he tried to get the correct one into his lock. He cursed as he bent to pick them up and find the correct key again. He needed sleep. Sleep and something to reduce the tension in his body. He was so caught up in his pain that he didn't realize someone was coming up the stairs until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Jake grabbed the hand and twisted it as he spun around. He let go as soon as he realized it was Mr. Alvarez.

“Shit, you scared me. Sorry. I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?” Jake asked, cringing at the way Mr. Alvarez was rubbing his wrist.

“No worries. You dropped this on the stairs,” he said, holding out Jake's file of graded assignments and grading rubrics.

“Oh, shit. Thank you. I'd be screwed without that. Sorry again about the hand. I get jumpy sometimes. My old apartment was in the shady part of town, and we had a couple incidents with intruders. Sorry,” Jake continued to apologize even though Mr. Alvarez waved it off.

“You don't look good,” Mr. Alvarez said, scrutinizing Jake's face.

“Rude,” Jake retorted immediately. He knew he didn't look good. He was probably pale. He was squinting like crazy because the light was killing him even if the hallway was far from bright.

“Are you sick?” he asked, ignoring Jake's defensive comment for what it was.

“Migraine. Did you know that in the spirit of the season, I'm expected to pass students who haven't shown up for class in three months. And most of them don't just want to pass, but they want to pass with like a B. They want a B. Half of my good students are only making a B, and they did every assignment...on time no less. Ouch. _Ouch_ ,” Jake groaned. He really needed to stop clenching his jaw in frustration.

Jake almost jumped again when Mr. Alvarez's hand wrapped around the base of his neck, but as soon as he started to massage the area Jake was done for. Jake almost dropped the things in his arms as Mr. Alvarez worked the tension out of his neck and base of his skull.

Jake startled when his keys hit the floor a second time. He blinked at his neighbor again, and Mr. Alvarez smiled at him.

“Does that help at all?” Mr. Alvarez asked quietly.

“Second time today you've saved me,” Jake mumbled, tongue loosened from the gentle treatment.

Mr. Alvarez smiled at him. “One of my coworkers used to get migraines, and she found this helped make them tolerable enough to function,” he said, working his thumb into a particularly knotted muscle.

“Look, this is probably the best thing that's happened to me...in quite a while, but I really need to get into bed before I fall over,” Jake said, feeling like he might just do that any moment.

“I understand,” Mr. Alvarez said, taking his hand from Jake's neck and bending to pick up Jake's keys at the same moment Jake bent to do the same. “Oh Christ!” Jake cursed as their heads collided. That was not what he'd needed.

Mr. Alvarez smiled apologetically as he went the rest of the way and picked up Jake's keys for him. “So much for saving you,” he said as Jake rubbed his abused head.

“Yeah, this is much more along the lines of our previous meetings,” Jake said, jamming his key into the lock and shoving his door open roughly. He dumped his belongings inside the door and turned to say goodbye to Mr. Alvarez.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked Jake as Jake staggered back a step.

“Yeah, just need to make it to my bed,” Jake assured him, though he was considering sleeping it off on the couch because it was closer and a straight line from the door.

Mr. Alvarez shook his head. “Come, I will make sure you get there,” he said, gripped Jake's arm firmly.

“How do I know you aren't going to kill me? You're super quiet, and sneaky...and strong,” Jake rambled even as he allowed Mr. Alvarez to guide him through his own apartment. Jake ended up needlessly pointing out his bedroom because their apartments mirrored each other.

Mr. Alvarez did as he'd promised, making sure Jake made it to his bed. Then he quickly excused himself, assuring Jake that he would lock up for him. Jake barely got his shoes off before curling up beneath his blankets. It was as he was willing his head to stop pounding that he realized he never got Mr. Alvarez's first name again.

“Dammit,” he said before pressing his face to his pillow and begging sleep to take him.

\---

Jake's migraine was mostly gone by the time he woke the next day. However, he decided that it would be a bad idea to grade the previous night's finals, so he typed up the events list for Mr. Alvarez. Jake was still annoyed that he'd yet to catch the man's first name, and he decided that he would need to put an end to that.

So, he decorated the list with little Christmas ClipArt that was tacky as it was festive. He figured it looked perfect when he added the little holly sprig to the top of the page. He printed it off once he confirmed all of the dates and events with Jolene. He should've added a warning about cellphone usage at events because inappropriate text messages and calls to exes tended to happen at these sorts of things, but he decided against it. Those rookie mistakes were really a rite of passage.

Jake actually pulled on a pair of clean sweatpants and one of his university's t-shirts before walking next door to deliver his invitation. He tapped on the door in an elaborate rhythm and waited for Mr. Alvarez to answer. After the better part of a minute, he knocked a little harder. Still, no one answered the door.

Jake sighed, realizing he probably wasn't going to learn Mr. Alvarez's first name this morning if he didn't answer his door. Instead of waiting until he saw him, Jake slid the paper under the door and walked back over to his apartment.

Just as he was about to step back inside, Mr. Alvarez's door opened. Jake glanced back to see Mr. Alvarez standing there in only a pair of boxers, much as Jake had been the day before. His tattoo was on full display, and Jake thought it was a Sacred Heart though his knowledge of religious imagery was rusty. Mr. Alvarez's arms and chest were nicely developed, and Jake was man enough to appreciate when a someone took good care of himself.

“My how the tables have turned,” Jake couldn't help but say as he stepped back into the hall.

“What is this?” Mr. Alvarez asked, holding up the flyer Jake had made.

“Oh, it's a list of events and parties our floor kind of hosts during December. I figured that since you're new, you wouldn't know the traditions, and I didn't want you to feel left out,” Jake explained, standing right in front of Mr. Alvarez.

“Jello Wrestling for Juvenile Diabetes?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked up at Jake. Jake could understand the skepticism there.

“That's Clay's contribution. It's down at the strip club he goes to. It's a really big event, and they've raised a lot of money both for the organization and for presents for kids spending Christmas in the hospital,” Jake told him. Mr. Alvarez nodded slowly. “Um, I had a favor to ask you actually. I mean, if it's too personal or anything just tell me to buzz off, but um, I only know you as Mr. Alvarez and that's kind of formal—”

“Carlos,” he said before Jake could start to really ramble.

“Carlos. Awesome. It's a pleasure to informally meet you, Carlos,” Jake said, holding out his hand. Carlos took it and gave it a firm shake before letting go. “I also wanted to apologize for our first two meetings. I didn't mean to flash you...either time. I'm sorry about that,” Jake cringed.

Carlos laughed softly, shaking his head. “Apology accepted, but I took no offense. It clearly was not a malicious flashing,” he said, smiling cheekily. Jake bit his lip because he was pretty sure that he was being flirted with, but he couldn't be certain.

“Cougar, who's at the door?” a feminine voice called from inside his apartment. Jake's eyebrows shot up. Maybe he wasn't flirting.

“Cougar?”

“A nickname,” Carlos said, sounding a bit frustrated. “I should be getting back.” He motioned to his apartment and Jake nodded. “Thank you for the invitation...to everything. I will need to check my schedule, but I will try to attend some of these,” he said as a beautiful woman in a skimpy robe came to the door. “My neighbor,” Carlos answered her questioning look.

“Oh, nice to meet you,” she said, reaching around Carlos to take Jake's hand.

“Nice to meet you too,” Jake replied.

“Jake, Carrie. Carrie, Jake,” Carlos said, before stepping back into his apartment and taking his girlfriend with him. “I hope you're feeling better,” he told Jake as he closed the door slowly.

“Yeah, thanks for making sure I got in okay,” Jake said, waving to them both as he back pedaled to his own door. Carrie gave Jake a smile and a wave before Carlos closed the door completely.

“What a strange man,” Jake muttered going back inside. Jake couldn't make heads or tails of him, but he was intrigued. He certainly wanted to get to know Carlos “Cougar” Alvarez. Honestly, who wouldn't?

 


End file.
